september reads

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it's been long since i last wrote about the books i read,  let alone came up with a proper review. however, if you follow or every once in a while check out the reading list page, you do know that i am still, indeed, reading. there are periods when i find enough time to get lost in between the lines of as many as eight or ten novels per month; however, at other months, i read no more than three volumes. nevertheless, i am trying to keep up with the reading challenge, and thus read at least one volume per week. let's see what september brought me bookwise.

• The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham: in search of a good second-hand bookshop in miskolc, i was browsing the shelves of one such store, hoping that they would have an english language section. albeit a tiny one, they did have an english section with very few novels. one of them was the painted veil, an orange and white penguin classics edition with slightly battered cover and yellowing pages published in the 1960s. since every single time when i spot an orange and white penguin classic volume my heart skips a beat and a sudden urge to own the book overtakes me, i just had to buy it. so i did, and payed all of the 600 forints they were asking for it. since i had seen its movie adaptation a number of years ago, i had some vague memories of the plot. although i had not read anything by somerset maugham before, i knew that he is considered an english classic, and thus a highly recommended read. the book turned out to be quite a page-turner, with an exotic far-eastern setting, lively and realistic protagonists, a captivating narrative, and unpredictable plot. i will definitely read other works of somerset maugham as well.
• A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi: in a desperate attempt to sooth my ever so rising wanderlust, i have read quite many travelogues this year. i accidentally came across the books of marlena de blasi, yet another writer who had decided to leave her native land behind, and start over in some sunny mediterranean part of good old historical europe.  i thought i would give de blasi a try, since why not? but alas, she was quite a disappointment with her annoying, nagging, cheesy, too-romantic-chick-lit style. there are many many expat travelogue writers out there who write way better than she does.
• The Princess Diaries Volume 1 and Volume 2 by Meg Cabot: being a big fan of young adult novels (the sixteen year old teenager inside me will never ever grow up, i am afraid) and knowing that the princess diaries has been a big classic among teenagers all over the world in the previous decade, i just wanted to know what it was really like. fun, entertaining, hilarious, and really hard to put down once you pick up and start reading. meg cabot sure knows about teenagers, and manages to capture all they feel and go through really authentically. she also presents it in a totally hilarious way through well-thought-out and three dimensional, vivid characters. i may read the rest of the series some time in the near future; you know, just for the sake of research of my god-only-knows-when-i'll-write-it-but-i-really-should-get-it-over-with first novel.
• Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot: another one by meg cabot, this is for the slightly older young adults. it's about a naive (and plain dumb) forever babbling, fashion addict fresh graduate girl, who - upon finding out that she can't receive her degree until she writes her thesis - leaves for england to visit his supposedly super-duper british boyfriend, but then somehow ends up in a french castle and falls in love with a super-duper half american/half french millionaire guy. sounds fascinating, doesn't it? yeah, i thought so too. being chick lit at its worst, this book has nothing on the princess diaries. not at all fun, but absolutely dumb, not at all entertaining, but pain-in-the-butt annoying.
• The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler: as a big fan of jane austen, a few years ago i was excited to find out that there was a movie entitled the jane austen book club. to be honest, the film did not quite sweep me off my feet; still, when i came across the book it was based on, i bought it on the spot. and then chucked it on my shelf and abandoned it for years. i finally got in the mood for it in september, and the novel turned out to be pleasant surprise. it's about six people who form a book club and each month meet up at someone's home to discuss one of miss austen's works. the book is built of six big chapters, however, the reader does not really learn about the austen books, but each chapter introduces one member of the book club in detail. there were characters whom i could really identify with, whose story i enjoyed immensely, and thus relished those chapters. however, there were characters whom i wasn't interested in, or whose story line was simply dull, and i could hardly wait to get through that specific chapter. nevertheless, it was worth reading, though i am pretty sure i will not reread it any time soon.
• The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs: this book definitely deserves its own post, because i really loved it, and i will reread it in the near future and write a proper review on it. i accidentally came across this book in january 2012 at the 'sale' section of the red bus bookstore. i had just started learning knitting, and i thought it would be a good addition to my new hobby. still, just like so many other books of mine, it ended up on my shelf, abandoned and unread. looking for some easy, comforting chic-lit, i picked it up in september. i opened the cover, cracked the spine, then got lost in the the story of the single mother who lives in new york, raises her daughter on her own, runs her business (a yarn shop), and surrounded by a diverse group of supportive friends, all of whom are vivid and down-to-earth with their own sub-plot. i got exactly what i had asked for: a comforting easy-read, chick-lit at its best, strong female characters, and thought-provoking ideas. it gave me the idea to establish my own business, to become my own boss. great book, worth rereading.
• Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery: i am surely not the only one who grew up watching the road to avonlea (or, as we know it: váratlan utazás) on sunday afternoons on duna tv and then its reruns on other channels, right? well, the tv series is based on the stories of l.m. montgomery, one of the finest writers of canadian literature. the author is best known for the anne of green gables series, the story of the red-haired and freckle-nosed orphan anne sherley who is adopted at the age of 10 by the cuthbert family and thus moves to prince edward island, canada. though i find the story a bit too old fashioned and simply boring sometimes, it is still fun and entertaining, first class young adult classic literature with great characters and vivid portrayal of the early 20th century small town/village canada.

september was a pretty good month bookwise, i must say.